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As a sales manager, I’ve been surprised and amazed that during this tough economic time when sales are so important, attention and accountability seem to be slipping. Times are tough for everyone and senior living sales have certainly slowed for many communities. But the show must go on and we must stay focused on realistic goals and ignore almost everything else.

With everyone seemingly having many diversions that are taking them away from the all-important task of selling, it can become a daunting task to regain control. It really does become a test of focus, accountability and good process.

There are simple steps you can take to positively affect your sales strategy. So let me introduce you to “Kaizen,” a Japanese word that means “continuous improvement through small incremental steps.” You might have heard it associated with Toyota Motor Company. The philosophy of Kaizen can be applied to the senior living sales process by helping to break down seemingly overwhelming tasks into manageable steps, making it easier and more satisfying to reach sales goals.

For example, many sales counselors have sales expectations: call a certain number of people per day, to schedule a number of appointments, to reach a number of sales. If you get behind, that goal suddenly becomes insurmountable. Instead, use Kaizen to make it more manageable. Take a small step by making a personal goal to schedule just one appointment per day. If it takes two phone calls, great. If it takes until 7 p.m., then that’s what it takes. But eventually, with just one small step, you’ll build a succession of appointments that will make it easier to reach your overall goal.

It all comes down to accountability, and you must focus your sales staff on this goal. But you need to do it in a way they can actually succeed. Kaizen is based on making little changes on a regular basis, always improving productivity — and it can work in senior living, too.

So I’d like to know. Are you aware of Kaizen? And if so, how are you putting it to use with your sales team?

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In our continuing series on action steps operational communities can take to address the down market, I want to speak to the quality of your sales staff. So exactly what skills are needed to be a successful senior living salesperson? They are not much different than other types of consultative selling. I am certain that sales techniques and methods are teachable to most who have a desire to learn. However, there are natural skills that are of great benefit to those wanting to be successful in sales. By evaluating your team with some thoughtful questions, you can identify where the strengths of your sales staff might be hidden.

1. How energetic is your team? How easy will it be for them to consistently maintain the level of productive activity required to achieve their sales targets?

 

2. How effective is your team at inspiring prospects by helping them discover how they can solve their problems? Along with enthusiastic communication regarding the benefits of your community, another natural skill inherent to good salespeople is persuasion and the ability to chip away at the prospect’s need.

 

3. How sociable is your team? Do they enjoy interacting with others? Do they build rapport with strangers quickly?

 

4. Does your team have the ability to listen? Along with having good product knowledge, being a good listener is a key natural talent that captures the need of the prospect and cements the relationship bond that says, “I care about you and have genuine interest in your needs.”

 

5. How well-organized is the team? Not necessarily in their surroundings, but with their thoughts and planning methods. Good salespeople have a way of breaking things down into smaller steps and organizing the plan of action.

 

6. How determined is the team at overcoming roadblocks that arise during the sales process? Do they come up with creative solutions and collaborate with management to explore all possibilities? Will they follow through on their commitments?

 

7. How focused is the team? Are they able to stay on task with day-to-day activities such as phone calls, follow-up and data entry for effective lead management? Or do they let themselves get caught up in unnecessary details and non-essential duties along the way?

 

8. Are they self-starters? Do they move forward on their own and have a persistent need to finish what they have started?

 

9. Does the team know how to ask for incremental commitments? Senior living is not a quick sale; it takes relationship-building. However, successful salespeople ask for some type of commitment by securing a follow-up call, next appointment or invitation to an event to continue to build the relationship.

 

10. Story-telling engages people and creates interest in listening. Does your team use stories to overcome fear by sharing how others were fearful and later learned they didn’t need to worry after all? Do they use features and benefits as a fascinating story and not a laundry list?

With the investment to generate qualified leads, consistently target the right audience, and capitalize on the power of your web site, it seems only natural that increased sales are where the payoff lies. By taking a look into the natural abilities of your sales team, you can provide meaningful feedback and enhance any educated skills they possess. This will lead to creating a planned and tailored approach that implements what is needed to fill the gaps to optimize sales.

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Times are tough, and even during periods of national proportion, senior living professionals tend to believe that they shouldn’t bother anyone when global news is bad. After the tragedies of 9/11, many communities thought they couldn’t call prospects, that it wouldn’t be right. We’re experiencing that same feeling, though not on the same level, with the economic crisis.

My thought is, what better time to call than now? This is the perfect opportunity to reach out and talk to your leads and prospects to ensure them you have everything under control, and to begin developing those personal relationships that will be so important down the road.

With that in mind, here are six tips from a sales perspective that can help retirement communities refocus their sales staff during these tough times:

1. Suggest a timeout – If there’s resistance in the marketplace, step back and take a fresh look at your activities. Use your imagination for a little creative value-adding. A creative approach might be the spark you need to get fired up.
2. Reevaluate – If there’s uncertainty, what are you missing? Is it your pricing strategies? Perhaps your promotional materials? Reevaluate what you’ve been doing. Weigh all solutions, and then choose and pursue one.
3. Reorganize – Put greater emphasis on asking what position you should be in when sales pick up, and lay groundwork for the future. 
4. Generate – Excitement is contagious. Make your conversations with prospects a welcome diversion to the otherwise hectic day and doom & gloom headlines. 
5. Simplify – Streamline your processes and consolidate tasks to make your job smoother. Make a list of unnecessary tasks and eliminate them. 
6. Reinvent – Bring in fresh eyes to help you. Have someone evaluate your sales staff to see what you’re doing right and wrong. This can help you regain focus during troubled times.

Senior living communities don’t have the option to sit back and wait out the storm. They always have to be moving forward. That means reaching out and talking to your leads and prospects in the database. Stepping up efforts to meet a minimum goal requirement each day will enhance your own success during difficult times.

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